A recent experience provided a stark illustration of the worsening skills problem South Africa faces.
Two
months ago, South African universities were requested to provide the
names of three staff members to participate in an international capacity
development programme co-ordinated by the University of Bath and the
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Criteria included that they
should be younger than 45. I am 44 years old and was shocked that in our
department of about 50 people, I was the only one who met the age
qualification. Seventy percent of my university colleagues will soon
retire.
This is a microcosm of the ageing of skilled people in South Africa.
Insecure future
The
last generations of South Africans that include a significant
proportion of highly skilled personnel, whether employed in the public
or private sectors, are reaching retirement. The large numbers of
academics, doctors, dentists, welders, engineers, plumbers and
electricians of the 1950s and 1960s moving into retirement will bring
South Africa to a skills cliff.
We are not developing replacement
skills of the same calibre or to the same extent as 20 years ago, and
this will dramatically undermine the scope of sustainable growth.
The
elementary research I have been doing reveals that South Africa has a
boutique defence and security innovation industry which is growing
steadily. Other than some degree of policy uncertainty and the
relatively weak currency, the biggest threat to this industry is the
shortage of skills.
In any economic sector, there are certain
silos of state entities and functions where depreciating skills will
have a greater impact. For the security sector, these include the
aerospace and defence sector; organisations like the Civil Aviation
Authority, which governs the registrations and operational licensing of
all aircraft that fly in South African airspace; or bodies such as the
National Conventional Arms Control Committee, which governs the export
of military technologies.
The South African National Planning
Commission released a diagnostic document in 2011 which attributes the
lack of job creation in part to poor schooling and insufficient
knowledge. Renowned educationist Prof Jonathan Jansen, together with
other experts, supports this analysis.
Artisans create jobs
The
issue is, nonetheless, that policies are required that will help South
Africa to develop the technical skills it needs to run manufacturing
plants that will process the country’s rich raw resources into finished
products. In a nutshell, South Africa needs South African expertise to
keep the economy in the country.
Proper education can save us from
the skills cliff by providing the employment market with graduates who
are employable and/or trainable.
The country is in dire need of
artisans for manufacturing plants. Artisans create jobs for unskilled
labour as well as for university graduates. The unskilled labourer will
physically push a wheelbarrow carrying pieces of wood to the artisans.
The artisan will assemble the pieces of wood to complete a piece of
furniture and pass it to the university graduates, who will take care of
marketing and supply-chain management. One artisan can create an
average of 10 other jobs. Unfortunately, between 1994 and 2009, the
African National Congress neglected the technical colleges.
Unfortunately,
South Africa is in a phase of multi-decade regression in the education
sector. The implications are evidently catastrophic and are increasing
in momentum. I do not believe South Africa, as a country, appreciates
the impact the neglect of the education system will have on the
country’s future, because a highly competent and skilled proportion of
the population has carried the economy and overcome our human resources
shortfall.
However, this section of our population is ageing and is not being replaced.
Low-margin exports
South
Africa is de-industrialising, as manufacturers close due to a lack of
technical expertise and competitiveness. The reduction in skills has
contributed to the country being forced to export raw materials that are
then processed into finished goods in other countries and imported back
into the country. The export of raw materials yields low margins for
South Africa and the country has suffered serious losses in
beneficiation income.
The provision of skilled technical workers
and managers through better education will play a crucial role in
turning the economy around by shaping the country into a manufacturing,
services and knowledge economy.
Countries such as Japan, Malaysia,
Germany and Singapore are not endowed with rich mineral resources as
South Africa is, yet they are prominent players as manufacturing and
knowledge economies because they have both knowledge and technical
skills.
If South Africa wants to avoid the skills cliff and to
improve its socio-economic situation, it urgently needs to pay more
attention to skills development by improving all levels of education.
No comments:
Post a Comment